Vladimir Fedoseyev was born in St Petersburg and studied in Moscow at the Gnesins Musical Academy and then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Professor Leo Ginzburg. In 1971 he was invited by the legendary Evgeny Mravinsky to guest conduct the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. Such was the success of this concert that many invitations followed and Fedoseyev’s conducting career was launched.

In 1974 Fedoseyev became Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. Over three decades in this role he has formed a very special relationship with the musicians and developed a distinctive profile for the Orchestra. Under his leadership the Orchestra has made many successful tours of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Great Britain, Spain, the USA, South America, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Australia.

Vladimir Fedoseyev was Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to the end of 2004 and toured extensively with them around the world, as well as conducting them regularly in Vienna at the Musikverein and at the Konzerthaus. Highlights of his time with the Vienna Symphony were his outstanding performances of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, Verdi’s Requiem, and a complete cycle of Beethoven’s symphonic works at the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus which culminated in a performance of the Missa Solemnis. He will be back in the Musikverein and Konzerthaus to celebrate the Shostakovich centenary, and also the 75th anniversary of his Moscow orchestra, which marked its jubilee year with a series of acclaimed festivals in the Russian capital.

During recent years Maestro Fedoseyev has, as guest conductor worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Bayerischer Rundfunk, Köln Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle (where he conducts every season) and all the major orchestras in Paris. He enjoys a fine reputation in Japan and in 1996 was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. In the season 2004/5 he made his guest conducting debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras.

A highly acclaimed operatic conductor, Fedoseyev is Principal Guest Conductor at the Zurich Opera where his performances of Verdi’s Attila, Un Ballo in Maschera and Otello, Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar, and Mussorgsky’s Khovanschina have been among his major successes.

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in 2004 was hailed as an outstanding triumph by audiences and critics alike. In May 2005 he returned to Zurich to conduct the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar‘s Bride and a new ballet choreographed by Heinz Spoerli featuring Mahler’s music.

Other notable operatic engagements have included Rubenstein’s Demon at the Bregenz Festival in 1997 and L’Amore dei Tre Re by Montemezzi in 1998. He has conducted at La Scala, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Rome and Bologna. In summer 2003 Maestro Fedoseyev conducted a new production of Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen and the premiere of Massenet’s Don Quichotte.

Future engagements include concerts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France for the reopening of the historic Salle Pleyel in Paris, concert versions of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta in Lisbon and Lugano, as well as extensive European tours with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra.

Amongst Fedoseyev’s numerous recordings, his discography encompasses the symphonies, operas and ballets of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Scriabin, Shostakovich, Brahms and Beethoven. His recordings of the Mahler Symphonies No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 are currently being released.

In 1996 Fedoseyev received the prestigious Russian award for „Services to the Motherland“ and the same year he received from the Austrian Republic the Silver Cross for his services to culture. In 2002 the City of Vienna presented him with its highest honour, the Gold Star; in 2005, to coincide with the 75th jubilee of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Austrian President awarded Vladimir Fedoseyev with the country’s highest distinction, the Cross of Honour first class for the Arts and Science, and President Putin decorated Fedoseyev with further Russian honours.